Unexpected Outcome
by Falcon Strife
Summary: -Oneshot- Post tournament. Amidamaru, Manta, Yoh, and Anna have a brief gathering one evening.


**Title**: Unexpected Outcome  
**Rating**: K+  
**Genre**: General  
**Summary**: Post-tournament. Amidamaru, Manta, Yoh, and Anna have a brief gathering one evening. YohxAnna and hints of friendly fluff between Ami & Manta.  
**A/n**: Takei doesn't say what happened to Manta and Faust (at least in Funbari no Uta), so this is just an idea of what became of them. Heh. I actually didn't mind making it a YohxAnna this time. : )  
**Disclaimers**: Shaman King © Hiroyuki Takei.

* * *

Amidamaru watched with a smile. Five years had gone by since the shaman tournament ended, and still he remained in Patch Village with his closest friends. Not that he had expected any of the results of the tournament. 

Everybody was stunned when they learned three months before the birth that Anna would soon be a mother; however, nobody seemed to agree on what was most surprising. That Anna was expecting, or that she allowed herself to become a young mother. That Yoh was the father, or the fact that he had even managed to sleep with Anna.

Not long after his birth, Asakura Hana was placed in Ryu and Tamao's care, and the three were sent back to Funbari ga Ohka to prepare the onsen for business. Horohoro and Pirika followed the two back to Japan, and soon after returned to Hokkaido. Lyserg returned to Britain much sooner, and Chocolove returned to New York only days after. Jun had returned to China early on as well, but Ren remained in Patch Village to challenge Yoh's inheritance of Great Spirit and attempt to grow stronger than the Asakura. However, like most he grew out of his childish competitive nature, and only six months ago he returned to China to prepare to take charge of the Tao family.

Time quickly grew boring for Amidamaru, since he was beginning to see less of Yoh. It frustrated him some days, but he always reminded himself that it was necessary. So, he began spending time with the anomaly of Patch Village.

Manta had become as busy as Yoh, though it had nothing to do with training. Months after the fight ended, he began searching through the ancient buildings until he was had the pleasant surprise of stumbling across a library. He delved into every book he could, learning of the history of shamans and the shaman tournament, until finally he was forced to learn the ancient languages so that he could continue researching through the oldest books. Nowadays he spent his time in the study that the Patch tribe had provided him, writing away and squinting through dark glasses as he read over the aged pages.

"Are you almost finished?" the samurai asked with a smile. He knew he shouldn't interrupt, but once he hadbegan spending time with the human, Anna had instructed him to force Manta to take a break now and then.

"I've only just started," Manta replied with a chuckle. He knew Amidamaru's ploys by now, and was growing used to talking while he wrote.

"Just started? Manta-dono! You've been hard at work for months!" The samurai smiled while hovering closer. "How can you have only started?"

"I've finished the manuscript, Amidamaru-san," he replied while looking up happily. "I plan to transcribe it for later publishing." He laughed with the spirit gave him a confused look. "I'll type it on the computer so I can send it to a company. They can make many copies so that it can be used for reading or even teaching."

"Does it even work, I wonder?" he replied thoughtfully. "When did you last use it?"

"Not in years," he sighed while shaking his head. "There was so much dust in the library. I didn't want to damage it. And even then..." He got an annoyed expression. "There's no electricity here. The batteries must long be drained by now."

Amidamaru laughed lightly, and then looked towards the door with a smile.

"You sound happy, Manta," Yoh said while peering in. He could only be there so early in the evening if training had been cut off, and he wasn't one to forget his friends. He smiled wryly when the blonde didn't respond, and then began approaching. "Manta?"

"Hmm?" Quickly he looked up, and then smiled. "Yoh?"

The brunette sighed while sitting next to him, and then looked up thoughtfully. "How you doing?" he asked, raising his voice a little.

"I'm fine. Has Anna-san decided to give you a break?"

"Yeah," he laughed, and then looked gently at him. "Manta, I spoke with Faust this morning."

The young man tilted his head quizzically. "Yoh, how come? I'm not going stupid, you know."

The shaman king only smiled lightly. "Faust thinks he found a way to help you. It means a diet change, and I think he might want to use necromancy, but he sounds very spirited."

Manta removed the tinted glasses and turned towards Yoh with greyish eyes. "Yoh-kun, I'll be fine. I feel very strong these days."

Yoh smiled. It had been ages since Manta added the '-kun' to his name. "I know," he said quietly while studying the short human. "You shine so brightly now."

Manta frowned for a moment, and then chuckled. "Yoh, I can't hear you so well."

The young shaman king straightened up with a stubborn grin. "I said how can you see to read now? You can't even hear me next to you," he declared loudly. "You never should have come to Patch. It's all the fighting that wears your senses down!"

"You don't have to yell," Manta replied with a small smirk. "I'm sitting right here."

Amidamaru smiled as the two began to converse. Indeed, Manta was losing his sight and hearing. It was the main reason Faust remained in Patch Village. To study close to Great Spirit, hoping to find a way to heal the impaired. Manta had indeed been upset when he began having difficulty reading and hearing what the others said, but it seemed that his sixth sense was growing to replace what he had lost. He had no difficulty spotting the grudges that Yoh used to endure alone, and he was now able to grasp a spirit, should he happen to loose his balance.

He glanced toward the door again, and smiled appreciatively.

"You were told to come back," Anna said while eyeing her husband irritably.

"Oh! Anna," Yoh laughed nervously. "Sorry!"

The woman rolled her eyes, and then glanced to the newly-bounded book that rest on the bookshelf next to Manta's desk. She walked over and lifted it delicately, and then read over the front cover. "The Tale of the Shaman King and Queen," she read aloud, and then looked at Manta with a quirked eyebrow. "It's too long."

"A-Anna-san," he laughed nervously while turning to her. "You suggested it only last week."

"You're brave to question Anna," Yoh laughed nervously, forgetting that Anna's hearing was much sharper than Manta's.

"Yoh."

"H-Hai!" the brunette cried while standing at attention.

She smirked slightly at his quick response. "Dinner is almost ready. Take Manta down."

"I can walk on my own, Anna-san," the youngest laughed nervously, and then swallowed hard. He didn't need sight or hearing to feel the 'I will hurt you' aura radiating from the Shaman Queen. "Um... Well, we should go and eat then, Yoh," he laughed, and then held on to the shaman's hand as he was led out of the room.

"His sixth sense _is_ growing, Miss Anna," Amidamaru said with a weak smile. "He handles stairs and doors quite well."

Anna looked down at the book with a small smile. "He needs to get out more often," she replied. "And Yoh is doing so well. They should spend some time together." She held the book in what might be described as a hug, and then walked past the samurai.

"Miss Anna?"

"I've had my dinner," she replied, not bothering to pause or look back. "It's been a while since I had a chance to just enjoy a book." She glanced back dangerously. "Anybody who interrupts me will be punished."

Amidamaru's eyes widened with a nervous smile, and then he nodded rapidly. "Yes, Miss Anna!" Once she had left the room, he relaxed with a small sigh, and then looked out the window happily. Indeed, the outcome of the shaman tournament was unexpected.


End file.
